Sectional table



Aug. 24, 1943 P. Ros'ENBERG SECT IONAL TABLE Filed March 5, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENToR @sfu/55,65*

- ATTORNEY ug. 24, 1943- P. Ros'ENBERG SECTIONAL TABLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed- March 5 Patented Aug. 24, 1943 UNITED rSTATES PATENT 'OFFICE 2,327,743 SECTIONAL. TABLE Philip Rosenberg, New York, N. Y. Application March 5, 1942, serial No. 433,453, s claims. (C1. 311-4.)

This invention relates to joint structures for sectional work tables, more particularly to means for holding the surfacing material of adjacent table .sections smoothly in place, and for bridging the space between the working surfaces of the adjacent sections.

The invention is disclosed herein as embodied in a table structure of the kind disclosed in United States Patents #2,166,195 granted to Emanuel Mically and myself, and #2,166,196 granted to me, and is in the nature of an im'- provement upon the invention disclosed and claimed in the latter patent. 1

Tables of the kind referred to` commonly include two or more sections, each comprising a metallic frame having a plane metallic top portion and a non-metallic sheet of surfacing'material adhered or otherwise suitably secured to the tabletop,

Because of the difference in coeilicients of expansion of the metallic and non-metallic portions of the table, and also because the material of the surface sheet may be more or less hygroscopic in character while the metallic parts are not, there is a tendency for the surface sheet to creep and pull loose from the metallic portion of the table tcp, particularly at the ends of the table sections, and hence to produce objectionable bulging or warping of the surface material at the joint between sections. It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved. joint construction for obviating these drawbacks.

In Patent #2,166,196 disclosure is made of a T-shaped clamping bar, having side portionsof its head set respectively in recesses or rabbets formed in the adjacent upper margins of the surface sheets of two joined table sections. Holddcwn screws set in the lower body portion of the clamping bar are adapted to lbe passed downward through openings formed in a metallic ele#- ment or elements of the metallic frame of one of the sections. Nuts threaded onto the downwardly projecting ends of the screws serve to draw the entire clamping bar downward and thereby to press the sides of the clamping bar head firmly down against the reduced ,end portions of the surface sheets. This construction has been found practical and highly useful, but it is subject to certain disadvantages which are eliminated by the improvements of the present invention.

In the prior construction it was necessary to set the hold-down screws into the relatively slender body portion of the clamping bar. This resulted in a weakening of the. bar and in a4 limited amount of spoilage through splitting of the bar.. 'I'he more serious disadvantage, however, lay in the fact that the bar was frequently required to be applied by persons not conscious of its limitations. If the nuts were overtightened, the head of the bar might be overstrained and caused to split or warp at one side or the other.v

Again, the overtightening might overstrain the` body of the bar andcauseittosplit and release one' or more of the screws. -More commonly, however, the bar would lseemingly be satisfactorily secured `in place` with proper adjustment, only to have it develop an overstrain under changing conditions lof temperature and humidity. Then too, the baritself was subject to eX- vpansion vand contraction with changes of humidity, and sincethe clamping force of the nuts was' transmitted through the' entire height of they bar, the `clamping action of the bar was apt to vary-materially from time to time.

`It is aprimary object ofthe present invention` to provide an improved `form of joint bar having so near to oneanother that changes of humidity and temperature have no material tendency to impose strain uponthe bar.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear. v

In the drawings forming cation Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective View showpart of this speciingall of one `section top and part of a second section top of 'a multiple section table embodying the invention;

Fig, 2 is an inverted fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the table;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken upon the Vline 3 3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direc'- tion of the arrows; y

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 taken upon the line ll-i of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; i i

Fig. 5 is a vertical, transverse, sectional View broken away intermediate its ends, the section being taken upon the line 5--5 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig.; Gis ,a fragmentary, horizontal, sectional view taken upon the line 6 6 of Figs. 3 and 5, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 7 is an inverted, perspective view of an improved joint bar which is utilized in the invention and which in itself constitutes a salient feature of novelty of the invention.

The illustrative table l comprises two or more sections of which two sections, designated 2 and S. respectively, are illustrated. The several sections are essentially duplicates of one another, and a description of the parts of one section is, therefore, equally applicable to the parts of another. Each table section top is desirably made up of a series of longitudinal sheet metal channel bars 4, each comprising a plain central body portion 5, downturned vertical side flanges 6, and inturned horizontal bottom anges 1. The members Il are connected to one another by transverse tie members 8, 9 and Ill in the form of sheet metal channel members. The tie'members 9 are located intermediate the ends of a section and may be plain channel members, while the tie members 8 and ID are located at opposite ends of a section, are of special construction,

and 4will be described more fully hereinafter.

The table legs II may also be in the form of sheet metal channel bars, each having the upper end thereof secured in one of the channel bars 8, 9, II] and being held in 'place' by inclined bracingebars I2 which are bolted or otherwise' suitably secured to the leg and to horizontal bottom flanges I of associated channel bars 5. The legs II, connected in common to a single one of the channel-bars 3, 9, I0, may be cross-connected through tie bars I3. i

A surface sheet I4 of non-metallic material, desirably of the composition known commercially as Masonite is adhered or otherwise suitably secured to the top plane surface of the table top formed by the body members 5 of the channel bars 4. Each sheet HIA at the end of its table section which is to be joined to another table section is formed with a shouldered upper recess I5" to provide a reduced lower end portion I6. Ihe end'portion I8 terminates a little short of the channel bars '4, so that if the surface sheet becomes loosened lfrom the table top, the ends of the surface sheet can creep toward the end of the table section without bulging.

- A joint bar Il is interposed between the abutting ends of the table sections 2 and 3, the bar being desirably made of wood or some nonmetallic composition which will provide a satisfactory working surface. The bar I1 includes a continuous smooth head portion I8 and a continuous central body portion I9. The head portion I'projects to either side of the central body portion I9 to lie in the recesses I5 of the surface sheets I4. The head portion I8 is of substantially the same depth as the recesses I5, and the smooth upper surface of the head I8 stands substantially flush with the Lipper surfaces of the surface sheets I4. Y

The side faces of the head are spaced slightly from the adjacent vvertical walls of the recesses I5, so as to admit of relative creeping of the surface sheets without buckling. l n

Beneath theplain ,body members 5 of the channel bars 4 which form the main body of thetable top, the central body portion I9 of the joint'bar I'l hasprojecting from each of its sides a series of spaced side body parts 2D. The side body parts 25J are spaced from one another to provide clearance for the side vertical anges 6 and the bottom horizontalflanges- 1 of the channel members 4, so that these flanges, as well as the body parts 5 of the channel members 4 may abut against the central body part I9 of the joint bar Il.

Each side body part 2li is separated from the Y opposed side lportion of the head I8 by a slot or channel 2I of just sufficient width to receive and substantially fit the body part 5 of a channel member al, together with the reduced end portion I5 of the associated surface sheet I4. The head part I8 and the side body parts 20 do not exert any sub-stantial clamping or frictional Vforce upon the members 5 and I6, but they do hold these members against separation from one zontal ange 3B.

across the space intervening between the two` table sections which is bridged yby the central y flange 23, a horizontal body portion 24, a vertical' flange 25, and an inturned horizontal flange 26` at the lower extremity of the ange 25.'` The channel IS comprises a left-hand vertical flange 2l, a central horizontal body portion 28, a righthand vertical flange 29, and an out-turned hori- The channel member 8 extends body portion I9 of the joint bar II.

The joint bar Il rests upon the portion`28 of J the channel member 8, and serves as a spacer to support and reinforce the table top members 5 together with the surface sheets I4 at the extremities thereof. l

When the joint bar and the table sections have been fitted together substantially as illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, bolts 3| are passed through openings of the flange 25 and through slots 32v of the ange 29, and the flanges 25 and 29 areK drawn and clamped together by threading nuts 33 onto the bolts 3|. `Bolts 34 are also passed downwardly through openings of the ilange'26 and through slots 35 of the ilange 3G. Nuts 3S threaded on the bolts 34 clamp the flanges 26 and 30 together againstrelative shifting.

Reinforcing angle brackets 3l are desirably secured, as by welding, to the lower sides of the central body portions 5 of the channel members 4, these brackets being formed with downwardly extending legs which engage the upper faces of the channel members 8 and I 5I and serve as spacers and supports alongside the joint block I1. With the construction described, table sections may be conveniently and efficiently united and The joint block lis clamped between the adjacent ends of separated as conditions may require.

the table sections, and it serves to hold the ends4 of the section tops and of the Surface sheets in smooth contact with one another at all times. 'Ihe joint bar is not subjected to any substantial strain either during manufacture, assembly or 1. A joint bar, adapted for use between theL sections of asectional table of which each sec-`A tion has a sheet metal top and a surface sheet of non-metallic material shouldered to provide a portion of reduced thickness at the end, said joint bar including head portions adapted to overlie the reduced end portions of the surface sheets, and body portions adapted to project beneath the sheet metal tops of the Icable sections,r

said head and body portions being separated by slots of fixed Width, each of appropriate width to embrace and t the sheet metal top together with the reduced end of the surface sheet of a table section.

2. A joint bar, adapted for use between the sections of a sectional table of which each section has a plane top made up of sheet metal members formed with downwardly extending reinforcing anges or Webs, and a surface sheet of non-metallic material shouldered to provide a portion of reduced thickness at the end, said joint bar including continuous head portions adapted to overlie the reduced end portions of the surface sheets, a continuous central body portion, and intermittent series of side body portions adapted to project beneath the plane sheet metal tops of the table sections, said head and body portions being separated by slots of xed Width, each of appropriate Width to receive and substantially iit the plane portion of the sheet metal top together with the reduced end of the surface sheet of a table section, and said side body portions being spaced from one another PHILIP ROSENBERG. 

